Saints unhappy at rival's board role

The anger in Southampton over the 10-point penalty imposed by the Football League board for the club’s financial irregularities has been increased by the alleged conflict of interests surrounding the decision-makers.

There is a lot of upset on the South Coast that the eight-strong Football League board included Neil Doncaster, the chief executive of Norwich, who are one of the clubs still fighting to avoid relegation from the Championship with two games left and so directly affected by the Southampton verdict.

St Mary's is set to host League One football next season

The Football League took the precaution of receiving legal advice over Doncaster taking part in the board’s debate on Southampton’s fate.

And the Norwich supremo registered his particular conflict before the start of the Southampton discussion and did not participate in the vote.

But official Norwich websites had predicted Doncaster would ‘speak forcibly on the subject’ at board level and was hardly likely, in the circumstances, to be advocating that the Saints escaped a points deduction this season.

Doncaster said: ‘It is my fiduciary duty during board meetings to discuss issues from a Football League perspective, which is always the case.’

Andrew Flintoff

Freddie Flintoff has enjoyed an incredibly fortunate cricket career, even taking into account his numerous injuries.

Not only is he receiving a record-equalling $1.55 million for being the most expensive bowler in the Indian Premier League on and off the pitch, but his Lancashire testimonial year raked in nearly £3m tax-free on the back of his 2005 Ashes-winning popularity.

That figure is not likely to be beaten soon, now that the Government is taxing cricket beneficiaries at 20 per cent.

Just when it seemed there was little point in holding the Variety Club sports awards - especially when one of the major recipients didn’t even show for a function where the winners are chosen mainly on the proviso they will turn up - along came the outstanding courage honour for Alastair Hignell.

Before retiring last year, Higgy had battled multiple sclerosis for nine years while continuing as a top rugby commentator for 5 Live and the genuine acclaim he received - just like for his BBC Sports Personality of the Year honour - made the VC’s Wembley event worthwhile on its own.

The long battle between football commentators Jonathan Pearce, Steve Wilson and Guy Mowbray to succeed John Motson as the BBC No 1 in time for the 2010 World Cup now has a fourth contender in Simon Brotherton, who has impressed when given a chance on Match of the Day.

An indicator could be who head of football Phil Bernie chooses to call the final of this year’s Confederations Cup in South Africa, which will be shown on BBC 3.

The latest Rich List, published this weekend, is expected to show that reclusive Ipswich owner Marcus Evans, the secondary ticket market multimillionaire, has doubled his personal fortune from £200m to £400m in the depths of the recession.

This certainly points to Evans, once described as the biggest ticket tout in the world, doing well from his company the Marcus Evans Group’s official role as a sub-licensed agent for Beijing Olympics ticket packages, supplied through the British Olympic Association’s official ticketing partner Sportsworld.

Coincidentally, Evans has of course just appointed former BOA chief Simon Clegg as his CEO at Ipswich.

A spokesperson for the BOA said they would not comment on any of their commercial partnerships.

London 2012 organisers are looking at a time schedule of 40 minutes for the competitors’ journey from the athletes village in Stratford to the Wembley Arena, where the Olympic boxing is now expected to be held.

If that is to be achieved, then the venue’s landlords Quintain better make sure that no shut gates - the subject of conflict with their FA neighbours at Wembley Stadium - block the Olympic caravan.

And the Quintain property developer directors, wary about the slightest hint of media intrusion, will have to get used to it with their likely London 2012 involvement.